Little platoons

“To be attached to the subdivision, to love the little platoon we belong to in society, is the first principle (the germ as it were) of public affections. It is the first link in the series by which we proceed towards a love to our country, and to mankind.”
-Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France

The value of generalists

"Somebody should have the courage not to specialise and to look at how one can bring things together. That is what I have tried to do."
-Ester Boserup

"Generalists are not held in high regard on campus or in our society unless they are big names, or else because they became generalists after first earning credibility as specialist... Since our society respects specialists and suspects generalists, perhaps the way to solve the shortage of generalists is by creating a new specialty in synthesis and system."
-Vartan Gregorian

"The Synthesizing Mind: the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others."
-Howard Gardner, Five Minds for the Future